Local sports briefs

BOONEVILLE – Chris Morgan and Trent Giambrone were more than just ‘table-setters’ for top-ranked Jones County on Thursday – they did a little of everything.

Morgan and Giambrone – the top two batters in the lineup – combined for nine hits, three home runs and six RBIs as the Bobcats whipped Northeast Mississippi 14-4 in eight innings in the opening round of the MACJC State Tournament.

Giambrone was 5-for-5 with a two-run homer and Morgan was 4-for-6 with a pair of solo shots.

On the mound, Westin Stringer recorded his 11th victory of the season.

The win improves the Bobcats to 41-9 and assures them of a spot in the Region 23 Tournament next week.

ELLISVILLE – Second-ranked Jones County Junior College Bobcats began play in the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament with a 4-1 victory over Pearl River Thursday afternoon at Community Bank Park.

The Lady Bobcats then dropped a winner’s bracket game to top-ranked LSU-Eunice, 5-3. The Lady Bengals had defeated Mississippi Gulf Coast 10-2 in the first game of the tournament.

JCJC, 47-3, now must play Pearl River in an elimination game at 11 a.m. today.

The winner of that game will qualify for next week’s NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Clinton.

The Lady Wildcats won the late game, defeating Mississippi Gulf Coast 12-3.

LSU-Eunice is now 57-2.

southern miss

Sher earns C-USA academic honor

Southern Miss softball standout Mackenzie Sher was named to the Academic All-Conference USA team as announced by the league office. For Sher, it is the second consecutive year she has earned the honor.

Sher joins Leslie LeJune as the only Southern Miss recipient to earn the accolade more than once. LeJune earned the distinction in 2011 and 2012.

On the field, the Bellaire, Texas, native was named Conference USA Player of the Week (March 31, 2014). She finished the season batting .284 with 42 hits in 148 at-bats with a career-high 11 doubles, a triple, eight home runs, 27 RBI and 20 runs scored.

prep sports

Woody named girls coach at Moss Point

MOSS POINT – Former Columbia High coach Tony Woody has accepted the job of girls basketball coach at Moss Point, he confirmed Thursday.

Woody, a former All-America at William Carey, coached at Columbia for 19 seasons and compiled a 396-155 record while coaching the boys program.

“It's an opportunity to get back into head coaching,” Woody told the Sun-Herald. “It's the first one that came open and I got an interview. It's an opportunity to build that program.”

Woody, 50, coached the boys and girls teams for his final eight seasons at Columbia before he was terminated by the school board in August of last year. He has also worked as a coach at Alcorn State and Richton.

Shelia Smith stepped down as the head girls coach at Moss Point after 21 years following the 2013-14 campaign. The Lady Tigers went 8-18 this season.

Moss Point has another hiring to make with the boys basketball coaching position still open.